Avatar Book 2: The Burning Earth
by Zuko-Ursa
Summary: Iroh, Zuko, Zuron, and Keisha travel through the Earth Kingdom as fugitives.
1. Chapter 1: Relaxation and Azula

Three weeks after the siege of the North, the four of us arrived at a luxurious spa. Iroh was getting a back massage and my sister, Keisha, was taking a nap. I saw Prince Zuko sitting nearby with his eyes looking down. Something's bothering him. "Is something troubling you, Prince Zuko?" I asked.

"Zuron?" he looked up at me in surprise.

"Yes. I also know that there's something bothering you," I replied.

"It has been three years to the day since I've been banished. I've lost everything and I want it back!" Zuko said in a downcast voice.

"You haven't lost everything, Prince Zuko. Look, you still have your Uncle and your life. You can never lose everything," I said.

"You don't know anything about me!" He shouted.

"Listen to me! I've lost both of my parents and I still have enemies. If they find me, they'll kill me and hold my sister captive! Do you think I want that for her? I want to protect her and hopefully keep my life in the process. I've lost more than you have, but no matter what, neither of us will ever lose everything!" I shouted. Tears started forming in the corners of my eyes at the mention of my parents, but I forced myself to hold them back. I turned and walked down the beach to sit under a tree. I pulled my knees up to my chest and buried my head in my knees. I started to cry. Silent sobs racked my body. My parents are dead and there's nothing I can do about it. Someone touched my shoulder and I jumped. I wiped my eyes and turned around.

It's only Iroh.

"What's wrong, Zuron?" Iroh asked.

"N-nothing, I'm j-just t-thinking," I answered.

"It's not nothing. You were crying. Please, tell me what's wrong," Iroh said.

"I was thinking about my parents. I miss them," I replied, looking down with tears in my eyes once more. My lip trembled as I tried to suppress my sobbing. Iroh placed his hand under my chin and lifted my head up. My eyes looked into his filled with such concern. Finally, I just couldn't take it anymore. Tears started streaming down my cheeks. I leapt into his arms and started sobbing loudly into his chest. All of my pent up feelings were released in the form of tears. After a few minutes, my sobs quieted down to silent sniffles. I looked up at Iroh, embarrassed at my show of weakness. "Iroh? I- I'm sorry I…" I started.

"No, it's alright. You didn't do anything wrong. It's not good to hold in that much emotion. It's ok to cry sometimes, to let out your sadness," Iroh replied. I looked at Iroh and smiled, wiping the last of my tears from my eyes. We walked back to our hut where Zuko was waiting for us. We found out that Princess Azula was in the hut. She talked to Zuko, saying that he was welcome home After that, Azula left.

A few hours later, while Prince Zuko was packing, he and Iroh got into a fight. Prince Zuko yelled at Iroh and left. I looked toward Iroh. He looked so sad. "Iroh, I know that it's a trap. I can feel it. Lets go with him to stop that trap!" I said. Iroh looked over toward me and nodded.

The next day, Iroh, Keisha, and myself joined Zuko on his trip to the ship. We saw Princess Azula and her soldiers waiting for us. "Brother, Uncle, welcome. I'm so glad that you were able to come. Set a course for home, captain," Princess Azula said. I heard Zuko mumble the word 'home'.

"You heard the Princess. Raise the anchor. We're taking the prisoners home!" the captain ordered. I knew it! So, it was a trap! Azula glared at the captain. Iroh and Keisha started fighting the soldiers while Prince Zuko and myself ran after Azula. Azula managed to knock Zuko down. I knew what Azula would do. I have to help! Before he died, my father taught me lightning. I never succeeded. I must separate those two energies. I start to move my hands in the way that my father taught me. Lightning forms at the end of my fingertips. I release the lightning straight toward Azula. It lands in front of her and she flies into the ocean.

"Come on, Zuko, let's get out of here!" I shout. Zuko looked toward me and followed me out. Iroh, Zuko, Keisha, and myself ran for a long ways until we got to the shore. I watched in silence as both Iroh and Zuko cut their hair. At this point, I knew that from this day forward, we are fugitives.


	2. Chapter 2: The First Week

Zuko and myself had gone to look for food. When we came back, we saw Iroh staring at a plant. "This is the rare White Dragon bush. It makes a tea so delectable it's heartbreaking. That, or it's the White Jade plant," Iroh told us.

"We need food, not tea. I'm going fishing," Zuko said.

"I'll go, too," I called over to him. We spent an hour fishing without any luck. We walked back to see Iroh. He stared at us and we jumped back. So, it was the White Jade after all. All four of us walked to a small EarthKingdom village to help Iroh. We found the medical center. The nurse there was nice. After she treated Iroh, she invited us over for dinner. We accepted and had a wonderful dinner of roast duck. Shortly after the meal, Zuko walked outside and Song, the nurse, followed him. I didn't think anything of it. Later on, after we thanked Song, Iroh, Keisha, and I saw Zuko steal their two Ostrich-Horses. We protested at first, but it'd be futile. We hopped on and rode away.

It was a few days after the night with Song. I noticed a change in Zuko. I also noticed how we had a lot of extra stuff. Zuko must be stealing. Iroh had just spoken with him about our position. Zuko just turned and walked away. When he came back, Zuko said that he was leaving. I said that I was coming with him and I told my sister to go with Iroh. After that, Zuko and I took our Ostrich-Horse and left.


	3. Chapter 3: The Story of Zuko

After a couple of days traveling alone, our supplies ran out. My stomach rumbled in hunger and my mouth felt as dry as a sandy desert. "Where's the next town?" I asked.

"We'll be there soon," Zuko answered. An hour later, we reached a small, rundown town. We came towards a merchant stand. They have to have food and water there! Zuko asked for some water, a bag of feed, and some food. Unfortunately, we didn't quite have enough money. The merchant offered to get us two bags of feed, to which Zuko accepted. We saw two kids off to the side throwing eggs at the 'soldiers' in the corner. The kids ran off and Zuko told the 'soldiers' that he didn't know where the egg came from. As payment, the 'soldiers' stole our feed and left. Afterwards, one of the kids came out and brought us to his home.

"You a friend of Lee's?" the kid's father asked.

"This guy stood up to the soldiers! That kid was with him!" Lee exclaimed.

"Do they have names?" Lee's mother asked.

"I'm Uh…" Zuko mumbles. Lee's father saved us by saying that we don't have to say who we are. Thank goodness! Lee's mother said that we could help Lee's father on the roof in exchange for food. We helped to the best of our abilities with Lee chattering our ears off. At one point, this caused us both to hit our thumbs with the hammers.

"Ow!" I said, shaking my hand as if to relieve the pain. After we worked on the roof and ate our meal, I noticed that Zuko looked a bit downcast. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing! Just thinking!" He exclaimed in shock.

"About what?" I asked again.

"About…my mother," Zuko replied in a low voice.

"What happened to her?" My curiosity became overwhelming.

"She…disappeared. I don't know what happened to her. Azula said that my father was going to kill me. Mom must have found out. Shortly after, she disappeared," Zuko finished in a cracked voice. I looked at him and saw tears streaming down his cheeks. I placed my hand on his shoulder and pulled him into a warm embrace. I held him as he buried his face into my shoulder and started sobbing loudly. His tears soaked my shirt as I held him. He started to calm down. He lifted his head from my shoulder and looked into my eyes. He was embarrassed, I knew, from the fact that he just broke down.

"It's alright, Zuko. Tears aren't a show of weakness, they're strength," I explained. Zuko nodded and crawled away from me. He laid down nearby and fell asleep. A few minutes later, I had followed suit.

The next day, Zuko and myself were given food for our journey. The 'soldiers' showed up and told Lee's mother and father that their eldest son was captured. When they left, Zuko gave Lee a pearl dagger and we left. An hour later, Zuko had been thinking about his past. Lee's mother came by and told us that the 'soldiers' took Lee. We followed her to help her son. When we arrived, Lee was tied up on a wooden pole. The 'soldiers' started to fight Zuko. He managed to defeat the first three. Zuko started fighting the forth. The forth 'soldier' knocked Zuko down. Just when he was about to deliver the finishing blow, Zuko sprang up and delivered a powerful display of Firebending. "Who….Who are you?" The 'soldier' asked.

"My name is Zuko. Son of Ursa and Firelord Ozai. Prince of the Fire Nation and heir to the throne!" Zuko announced.

"What about you?!" one of the men shouted toward me.

"I am Zuron! Half Water Tribe and half Fire Nation! Son of Tamrok and Avina. I am free to choose which Nation I belong to because I am both!" I shouted. They ordered us to leave, so we did.


	4. Chapter 4: The Chase

It has been a couple of days since we helped the town. Zuko had seen the tracks of a Fire Nation machine. He said that it was Azula. With that in mind, we followed the machine.

After about a day, we caught up to Azula. Shortly before we got there, though, Azula had found the Avatar. Zuko hid in the shadows and waited before he sprang up and struck out at Azula. He missed. I took my chance and shot lightning at Azula. She ducked and knocked me out with Fire. When I woke up, it was because Iroh, Zuko, and Keisha shook me awake. We ran over to where the Avatar and his friends were cornering Azula. "So, enemies and traitors all working together. That's it. I'm done. A Princess knows when to surrender," Azula said. She's lying, though! I know it! Suddenly, Azula shot blue fire at Iroh. He didn't see it coming and was struck down. Zuko cried out in grief before he attacked Azula. We combined our efforts, yet she was able to escape. Zuko, Keisha, and myself ran to Iroh. Then, I heard someone calling out to me. My pupils turned into the shape of a cat's eye. They started glowing red and I was being pulled into a world unknown to me.

"Zuron!" Someone exclaimed. A Middle-aged man in Water Tribe clothes floated to me accompanied by a woman in Fire Nation clothes.

"Mother? Father?" I asked. I could hardly believe my eyes.

"Zuron, you are a duos bender. A bender able to use two elements. The duos bender uses both its natural element and its opposite element. You are a bender of both Fire and Water! Use it well, my son," My mother said.

"I miss you mom, and you too, dad," I said, close to tears.

"I know. We miss you too, Zuron. Please take care of your sister. She was too young to remember us," Mom said.

"I will," I promised as they faded away. Everything turned to normal and I found out that no time had passes. I turned around to face the Water bender. "Do you have water?" I asked.

"Yes, but you aren't a water bender. You can't heal him," She said.

"I can bend two elements, water and fire, because I am a duos bender," I explained, taking the water from her. I started to bend the water into my hand and used it to heal Iroh. Afterward, Zuko and I lifted Iroh up and carried him to an abandoned building. There, we will care for him until he is healed.


	5. Chapter 5: Practice Makes Perfect

Iroh kept tossing and turning. I had cooked up some breakfast for everyone. When Iroh finally woke up, Zuko had prepared him some tea. I could tell right away that Iroh didn't like it, though. While Iroh was getting rid of his tea, Zuko spoke up. He said how he needs to learn more Firebending in order to defeat Azula. Iroh agreed with him and started teaching us about lightning. Iroh then took us to a cliff and demonstrated his lightning. Afterward, I stepped up and got into my lightning stance. I generated the lightning and released it into the air. "Very good, Zuron! Who taught you lightning?" Iroh asked.

"My father," I answered.

"Zuko, now it's your turn," Iroh said. Zuko tried to generate lightning, but he failed miserably. He kept trying, but each time, he was thrown backwards.

"Why can't I do it? It keeps blowing up in my face, just like everything else!" Zuko shouted.

"You must first deal with the turmoil inside of you," Iroh replied.

"What turmoil?" Zuko asked.

"Zuko, if you cannot successfully create lightning, then I shall teach you a technique that Azula doesn't know! I made it up myself," Iroh offered. Zuko looked at Iroh and nodded. We walked back to our camp. There, Iroh taught us how to redirect lightning. Iroh had us go through all of these weird motions. Afterwards, Zuko said that he wanted to try it with real lightning. Iroh refused to let him, so Zuko took one of the Ostrich-Horses and left into an approaching storm.


	6. Chapter 6: To Ba Sing Se

After Zuko came back, we started moving towards an area near a desert. Iroh was still in pain, so we stopped to rest. While we were resting, five men on komodo-rhinos came out of the bushes. Colonel Mongke! I remember him! He's the one that slaughtered my parents! I stepped forward and created fire in my hands. I looked at the colonel with fire in my eyes. I spouted the fire from my palms and struck the Colonel in the chest. When I was doing that, Zuko and Iroh were taking care of the other four. I was so lost in my hatred that Zuko and Iroh practically had to drag me from the Colonel. I screamed at them. They took me farther away from the Colonel and his rough rhinos. By then, I had stopped screaming. Iroh turned to me. "What's wrong, Zuron? Why did you attack him that fiercely?" Iroh asked.

I closed my eyes and started shaking. "I remember him. He's Colonel Mongke, isn't he?" I replied.

"Yes, but why'd you attack him?" Iroh asked.

"He and his rough rhinos are the ones that killed my parents," I answered with tears in my eyes. Iroh placed his hands on my shoulders. He pulled me into his arms as I started to cry. This time I couldn't stop. I buried my face in Iroh's shoulder and sobbed loudly. My lip trembled and I tried to suppress my sobbing. I'm not sure what to do now. I'm just so hurt. I miss my parents, so much. I slowly stopped crying. I sniffled as I wiped my eyes. Iroh looked at me with worried eyes and asked if I was alright. I said that I was and we started to move on towards the desert.

A few hours later, we arrived at Misty Palms Oasis. We entered the tavern and Iroh spotted an old man sitting at a Pai Sho board. We walked over. Iroh and the old man created a White Lotus symbol on the board. He mentioned the White Lotus. Wasn't that the club that my father belonged to? Huh. Hey! Two guys are picking a fight with us. The old man is helping us escape. He brought us to a small flower building. He brought Iroh into the back room and made Zuko, Keisha, and I wait out in the flower room. When they were done talking, the old man said that we could go to Ba Sing Se. Zuko wasn't too enthused on the idea, but Keisha was. So was I! I've always wanted to go to Ba Sing Se. The two men returned, so we escaped in flower pots. After we exited the pots, we headed towards the ferries.

Two days later, we arrived at the ferries. We stood in line and gave our passports to a crabby lady. Then, we boarded the ferry. I took a bite out of the rancid food and spat it right out. Yuck! That tasted awful! Zuko obviously felt the same. He had the same reaction. A young man walked out of the shadows followed by two other children. The first one came forward. "Hey! Name's Jet and these are my freedom fighters, Smellerbee and Longshot," Jet introduced. Jet proposed a plan to steal food from the captain and give it to us refugees. Zuko accepted and, that night, Zuko, Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot stole the food. The morning after, we were the ones eating like kings. When the ferry ride ended and we arrived at the train, Jet pulled Zuko off to the side. He offered Zuko a position on his freedom fighters, to which Zuko refused. Jet noticed that Iroh heated his tea with Firebending and left. Zuko yelled at Iroh and we boarded the train. To think, in a couple of minutes, we'd be in Ba Sing Se.

When we arrived, we started exploring the city. We hoped to snatch up things to decorate the apartment. Iroh had found some jobs for us at a nearby tea shop. When we made it there, Pao, the shops owner, fitted us for our aprons. Iroh's apron was far too small for him. Pao went to the back to get some extra string. While he was in the back, Iroh sampled some tea. He hated it, so he tossed it out of the window. Keisha and I started waiting tables while Iroh and Zuko served the tea. After the day was through, we arrived back at the apartment. All we did was converse and go to bed. The next day was normal until Jet burst through the door of the tea shop. Zuko and Jet started fighting after Jet accused Zuko of being a Firebender. The Dai Li appeared and took Jet away.


	7. Chapter 7: Under Lake Laogai

It's been a week after our arrival. Yesterday was Iroh's son's birthday. Lu Ten had died in the six hundred day siege of Ba Sing Se a few years ago. I had stayed with him while he remembered his son. He was extremely heartbroken over it. Today, Iroh was offered a new tea shop in the upper ring of Ba Sing Se. Soon after, Iroh received a flier that said that the Avatar's Bison is lost. Later, he argued with Iroh about it.

Later that night, Zuko snuck out and got information about where the Avatar's Bison was. When Iroh, Keisha, and I found him, he was under LakeLaogai. Iroh argued with Zuko again about destiny. He persuaded Zuko to release the Avatar's Bison. After that, we left LakeLaogai behind.

**A/N: Sorry that I couldn't make this chapter any bigger. I got major writers block and couldn't include more details. Again, so sorry.**


	8. Chapter 8: Illness

When we walked in, Zuko didn't look well. Neither did I. I felt sick to my stomach. We both started to sway before we passed out. "Zuko! Zuron!" I had heard Iroh yell before I lost consciousness.

I started to come to at the same time as Zuko. Everything hurt. It felt so hot and stuffy. My throat felt so dry. "Water," I mumbled. Iroh turned away from the now sleeping Zuko and gave me a ladle full of water. I drank it greedily. I groaned as I fell back to sleep.

When I woke up, Iroh was telling Zuko how, for him, this illness is a metamorphosis. "That doesn't explain why I'm sick," I mumbled and then coughed.

"It does, actually. Do you have any very special talents?" Iroh asked.

"What's that got to do with my being sick?" I asked.

"I'm just wondering," Iroh answered.

"Well, I'm a duos bender. That means that I can bend both fire and water," I replied.

"What?" Iroh asked.

"That is why you healed so quickly," I answered. Then, I opened my eyes wide. "Maybe I can help heal Zuko's fever!" I exclaimed.

"How?" Iroh asked.

"I can waterbend!" I got up and stumbled over to where Zuko lay. I pulled some of the water out of the bucket and began healing. Zuko's eyes flickered open, then shut as the healing water calmed him. I stopped healing and moved away from Zuko. My stomach started twisting into knots. I turned to the side away from Zuko and Iroh and started vomiting. Iroh moved closer to me and started rubbing soothing circles on my back. When I finished vomiting, Iroh helped me back onto my sleeping mat. I fell into a sleep plagued with nightmares.

**Zuron's Nightmare:**

My mother was cooking our dinner. My father had been hunting for a few hours and should be coming home soon.

Crash!

Huh? What was that? I had been in my room at the time. I bolted out of my room and ran to the kitchen. Mom! She's lying facedown on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood. My father burst through the front door and came across the same sight as me. We looked up and saw the five attackers. They shot fire at my father and ended him. Then they turned to me….

**The Present Time:**

"Ahhh!" I screamed as I woke up and sat bolt upright. I was breathing heavily and sweat coated my brow. Iroh leaned toward me and placed his hand on my shoulders. It was only then that I realized I was crying. Iroh pulled me into an embrace and held me close as I cried. I started getting drowsy. My eyes started drooping. I slowly stopped crying as I fell into a deep slumber.


	9. Chapter 9: Destiny

It had been a day since our fevers had broken. Zuko seemed different. He was a lot more cheerful than usual. Iroh, Zuko, and Keisha had already started working in the new tea shop. I had requested to be out today. I had something that I wanted to do. I heard not too long ago that the Avatar and his friends were in the city. I wanted to meet them formally. I went to their house and knocked on the door. The waterbender, Katara, answered. "Hello. Is there something that I can do for you?" she asked.

"Hi! I'm Zuron. I had heard that you all were in the city. I wanted to meet all of you formally," I answered.

"Ok, well, my friends are out for around a week, but I'm here to stay, for now," Katara replied.

We talked for awhile when I got the familiar feeling that we were being watched. I looked around when a fire blast came through the window and seared my left arm in flames. I screamed as I passed from the pain.

When I woke up, we were in a cavern full of crystals. I groaned in pain before looking toward Katara. "I'm sorry that I can't heal you, Zuron. There's no water around here," Katara said.

"There's water. It's in the air," I said as I pulled water out of thin air. I placed the water on my arm and began healing it.

"That's impressive!" Katara commented. We laid about and waited for help to come. Then, the Dai Li opened the rock door and pushed Zuko down into the cavern. Katara started yelling at him. She said how her mother was killed and started crying. I sympathized with her. I know what it's like to lose a parent. I've lost two parents.

"Katara, I know how you feel. Both of my parents were murdered about three years ago," I said. She looked at me with an empathetic look. She apologized to Zuko and offered to heal his scar. Before she could, though, Iroh, Keisha, and the Avatar burst in. Zuko tried to fight the Avatar, but Iroh held him back. We stayed behind when Katara and the Avatar moved forward. Iroh lectured Zuko about Destiny, when Azula ambushed us. She persuaded Zuko, Keisha and I to help her against the Avatar. We started fighting Katara and the Avatar. Azula shot the Avatar with lightning. Iroh showed up and fought us. The Dai Li captured Iroh in a crystal prison. Afterwards, we escaped. We stood in the Earth King's throne room. Azula said how Zuko would be welcomed home, but he seemed doubtful. After Azula talked with Zuko, we started preparing for the long trip into the Fire Nation.


End file.
